What Makes Limoncello so Special? It’s All in the Lemons

Recipes for fruit liqueurs historically have been passed down for generations. Homemade infusions often reflect a specific culture or geography, as well as local traditions. 

Umeshu, made by macerating green ume plums with shochu and sugar, is a staple in Japanese homes. Nalewka, a traditional Polish liqueur, is made from raspberries and other juicy fruits that reflect regional harvests. And the vibrant lemon liqueur, limoncello, is Italy’s ode to its sun-drenched citrus groves that dot the country’s coastal regions.

Traditionally made at home by the Italian “nonnas” or grandmas, limoncello has origins in the areas around the Amalfi Coast and Southern Italy. 

Veteran bartender and author, Salvatore Calabrese, originally from a small town in the middle of Italy’s Amalfi Coast, remembers glowing bottles of the lemon liqueur at his grandparents’ home. This symbol of generosity was an integral part of family celebrations. “The bottle of limoncello would always be there,” he says. 

A slice of history

In Claudia Piras’ Culinaria Italy, a historical account of Italy’s culinary traditions, she writes that as early as the 7th century in Minori, a small village near Amalfi, fruit farmers were planting large lemon groves. The trees flourished in the coastal climate and fertile soil, and experimentation with citrus species led to the development of the best varieties for many culinary applications, including making limoncello.

From Amalfi and Sorrento to Capri, many of these dazzling coastal locations claim to be the birthplace of limoncello. Each of these regions of Italy has a delicious story to tell.

In 18th-century Sorrento, families made lemon liqueur with their local citrus. There are indications that even earlier, the fisherman along the Amalfi Coast would drink it to ward off sickness in the cold, winter months. Made in homes throughout the country, the drink’s popularity grew until limoncello became synonymous with Italian hospitality. 

In the early 1900s, Maria Antonia Farace, the owner of a small hotel on the island of Capri, made a liqueur with citrus fruits from her garden that she would offer to all her guests. She passed on her recipe to her grandson, Max Channel, who served limoncello at a restaurant he opened after WWII near the Villa of Axel Munthe. His son, Massimo Canale, decided to facilitate a small artisan production of limoncello and in 1988 registered the trademark and began bottling limoncello to sell. 

We say lemon, they say limone

In Renato Vicario’s book Italian Liqueurs: History and Art of a Creation, he writes that to be called limoncello and to be an official traditional product by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the citrus must be grown in the Campania region of Sorrento and along the Amalfi Coast. 

In Sorrento, Femminello lemons flourish, and Sfusato Amalfitano lemons, also known as Amalfi lemons, are the common variety along the Amalfi Coast. 

“The lemons from the Amalfi Coast are very special,” says Calabrese. “Around the world every lemon is special, but the ones from the Amalfi Coast are quite unique — the aroma and the freshness. With friends, we cut lemons into pieces, [add] a bit of salt and vinegar, and eat the whole thing with pieces of bread.”

Though many Italians consider limoncello to only be liqueur made in the Italian style in the coastal regions of their country, limoncello has become popular around the world, especially in California where similar varieties of citrus grow. In California, a few lemon varieties, including Eureka, serve as an excellent proxy for their Italian counterparts. 

“Eurekas are especially appropriate for our California limoncello, as they were developed here in southern California in the 1800s from Italian seedlings, and are now the most common lemon grown here in California,” says Henry Tarmy, a co-founder of Ventura Spirits. 

“[Eureka lemons] are highly aromatic, with good oil content in the zest, and a nice balance of acidity and sweetness,” says Tarmy. “So, both our limoncello and the lemons themselves are built on Italian precedents.”

When life gives you lemons, make limoncello

Even with many bottles available commercially, limoncello can easily be made at home.

When making limoncello, it’s important to note that only the top yellow layer of the lemon rind is used, and when peeling, take care to avoid the white pith that will make the liquid bitter. The floral and aromatic oils in the peels, ideally pesticide-free, without any waxes on the skin, are the key to achieving full flavor potential in the final product. 

When preparing to make his own limoncello, Calabrese visited the Amalfi Coast throughout the lemon growing season to assess the ideal time to pick the fruit. “You don’t want to pick the lemons at the end of the season when they have been cooked by the sun,” he says. 

Calabrese’s research led to harvesting the fruit in June when the flesh was fresh and vibrant and not over-ripened. He recommends starting the process to make the liqueur within 48 hours of picking the fruit.

Once the lemons are carefully peeled, the rinds are then soaked in high-proof alcohol such as 100-proof vodka or Everclear. Then store the infusion mixture in a cool, dark place. This process can take three days to a month depending on the intensity of flavor you prefer. Some say to shake the bottle once a day to redistribute the peels in the alcohol, then wait and watch the clear liquid turn into a golden glow.

After the lemon peels have finished steeping, the infusion has been sufficiently strained, and the peels are discarded, the final step is to make a sugar syrup. This is combined with the lemon-infused alcohol to the desired sweetness. A few recipes suggest adding the sugar before steeping, but the most common consensus is to add fully cooled simple syrup at the end of the steeping process before bottling. 

In Laura Vitale’s book At My Italian Table, her nonna’s recipe suggests leaving the limoncello in the bottle for at least two months before serving to allow time for the flavors to meld.

Italian cocktail culture around the world

In London, Calabrese is not the only Italian-born bartender to share the flavors and traditions of his home country. Limoncello commonly appears on the city’s top bar menus. 

The Connaught Bar, where a good portion of the bar staff hail from Italy, Limoncello di Amalfi is featured in their list of eau de vies. At Duke’s Bar, where Calabrese created a beloved ice-cold Martini garnished with an Amalfi lemon peel, limoncello is a frequent serve.

In California, the state that grows the most citrus in the U.S., it’s natural that limoncello would be a staple of bar menus. 

At Culina Ristorante at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, their Italian-themed cocktail menu features a Limoncello Sour and, at the end of the meal, every guest is offered a tall liqueur glass with house-made limoncello. 

Nearby in Culver City, Eataly sells a wide variety of limoncellos in its grocery section, and in its Capri Restaurant serves a Limoncello Spritz as well as a dessert called Limone É made with lemon sorbet, fresh basil, and limoncello.

Bartender Naren Young has crafted cocktail recipes with limoncello since his early days bartending in Sydney, Australia. He continued his love for using limoncello in cocktails at Dante in New York City and now at Miami hot spot, Sweet Liberty. Young likes how limoncello adds both acidity and sweetness to a cocktail. 

“It’s a good balancing modifier and a nice bridge between a wide cross-section of spirits, whether it’s rum, agave, gin, pisco, or whiskey,” says Young. “When you slot limoncello into that equation, it brings everything together.” 

Young’s affinity for all things lemon led to the creation of a Lemon Popsicle cocktail on the Sweet Liberty menu made with Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru, limoncello, lemon grappa, fresh lemon, lemon bitters, lemon curd, and San Pellegrino limonata soda.

Calabrese’s memories of sipping limoncello with family have led him to incorporate these flavors of Italy throughout his career behind the bar and as an author. In his book, The Complete Home Bartender’s Guide, Calabrese shares recipes for eight cocktails that rely on lemon liqueur including his Limoncello Sour, Amalfi Dream, and Maiori Magic, named for the town where his mother lives. 

“Limoncello is one of the things you need to understand about our traditions,” says Calabrese. “When you go to somebody’s house, the first thing they would offer you is coffee. And if you say no to coffee, they would bring out a bottle of liqueur and put it on the table. There is nothing more beautiful than a great lemon liqueur.”